Diana C. Kirby

About Diana C. Kirby

Diana Kirby is a lifelong gardener and longtime Austinite, who loves the Central Texas climate for the almost year-round opportunities it offers for active gardening and seasonal splendor. Known as an impassioned and successful gardener, Diana began by helping friends design and implement their landscapes. Soon, she was contracted as a professional designer by a popular local landscaping installation firm, where she designed landscapes for residential and commercial clients for several years. In 2007, her new passion blossomed with the launch of her own firm, Diana’s Designs. ... Diana is a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, the Garden Writers Association of America, and she writes a monthly gardening column for the Austin American-Statesman. Diana teaches the Landscape Design classes for several county Texas Agrilife Extension Service Master Gardener certification programs and speaks about gardening and design for garden centers and other groups. Learn more about presentation topics, availability and speaking fees.

Hurricane Horizon

It’s coming. Ike is going to hit landfall just south of us during the night tonight.

We’re about 3 or so hours from the coast and 2-1/2 hours from Houston, so we’ll be fine.

We are mercifully far from its real path, but nonetheless, since we are a major evacuee shelter area, out schools closed early today to get people off the roadways when so many are coming here and people were gathering provisions in case of a big storm or heavy winds.

Many of our friends and neighbors are sheltering their family members among the 1 million who have fled this natural disaster.

We’ve been weather-watching for days. We are southwest of Austin, and are only forecasted to get 1/4 inch to 2 inches of rain. But because we live on a mountain/hillside, we always have heavy winds and that, I suspect, will be where we see the brunt of this.

So, this morning, I set about bringing all my plants up onto the back patio area where it’s sheltered and I pushed all the patio furniture against the wall of the cabana. I’m a little worried about my tall, lanky plants, like the Cassia and the new Ancocha Orchid tree.


The clouds were forming, but they may just breeze on by us. These were taken before dinner and now there are none and no rain dropped out of these, in spite of being full of it!

My fingers are also crossed for my DH who is scheduled to fly home on Sunday. He already changed his connection from Houston (which will definitely be down) to Dallas, but the land path projected for the storm will likely make for a bumpy flight as he’ll be flying right toward it. He flies all the time and it won’t bother him, so that’s good. (I, on the other hand, would have postponed my departure to ensure avoiding that lumpy/bumpy plane ride!)

We’re going to keep our neighbors to the south along the coast in our prayers tonight and hope they’ve all gotten to safety.

By |2016-04-14T02:45:09-05:00September 12th, 2008|Blog, hurricane, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Dumb and Dumber….

Doesn’t this picture just make your mouth water?  We were so excited to have a watermelon on the vine, but it was so small, I just knew we had to wait and let it grow some more.

Sigh.

Not as mouth-watering now, huh?

Yes, My DH told me so.  Yes, he said we should pick it.  And no, I didn’t think we should.
WHAT do I know?
Clearly, nothing.  Because last weekend we went to harvest it and were not just disappointed, but totally grossed out.
So, I am not just dumb, but dumber.   I only get the thrill of growing it, not eating it.  Won’t be the first time that’s happened, either intentionally or unintentionally. 
But this time, I’m really sad.  
I’m a bad gardener.
By |2016-04-14T02:45:09-05:00September 8th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, watermelon|15 Comments

Sneaky…

Sometimes our plants are just sneaky.  This is my Saucer Hibiscus, foolishly planted in the front walkway bed, where the deer and the antelope play!  (Just kidding – but only about the antelope part!)

I periodically walk out front to find that all the new buds have been stolen and all that I have left are green stems, hastily chomped off in the search for a tasty green entree.
But today, my hibiscus was sneaky.  Somehow, she evaded those does, and burst forth with a bloom unequalled anywhere in my garden.  The sheer size of these just makes me shake my head in awe.  They are just stunning.  And even though they are few and far between, I love seeing them there, towering above the Lantana and the Euonymous and the Skullcap.
The Indigo Spires are very happy in the back yard – full of tall purple…well… spires!

And then, of course, are the reliable Crepe Myrtles with all their beautiful colors.  
Surprisingly, this exotic little bloom is a Morning Glory.
This trio is white Echinacea.
I realized that I totally ignore this Buddleia, because the deep purple color on my other two is just so amazing.  But this bush is tall and hearty and very pretty in its own right.
In spite of its strong aroma, the society garlics are all in bloom, though most of mine are lavender.
And this is a close-up of the Plumeria bloom.  Can’t you just smell it?  There, put your nose right up next to the monitor there…smell?   
We know what’s blooming all over — what smells good in YOUR garden today?

Pretty things…

Just a few pretty things in my garden today.  I thought the light was nice on this Bulbine, which I have to grow in a pot inside the badk yard to save them from the deer.

These are shots of my Duranta tree – which I’ve nurtured in a pot for about 10 years.  The white blooms and little berries are so delicate, they belie the toughness of this hearty specimen.

I’m happy to say that after some weeding and watering and cleaning of birdbaths, I actually spent the afternoon out back relaxing with my family today — swimming and reading. It was delightful, and something I don’t do enough of because weeds and errant plants holler at me when I try to sit down most of the time! I just ignored them today.

By |2016-04-14T02:45:10-05:00August 30th, 2008|Blog, bulbine, duranta, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Big sky …

Oh, my.  This morning’s sky was so beautiful that I had to run back inside and get the camera.

We’ve had clouds and some rain off and on for a week or so.  Some of those late afternoon heat thunderstorms that don’t always even produce rains.  
But the skies have been amazing.  
I don’t know much about the different kinds of clouds or the weather (I’m pretty much limited to, “it’s hot” or it’s cold!”) but I can sure appreciate the picture-perfect postcards that Mother Nature has given us of late.
When the sky is lit up in orange and pink hues, my late Oma (German Grandmother) would always say, “Die Engel backen Kuchen.”  That translates to “the angels are baking cake,” which is a lovely saying that we carry on in our family.
Also enjoying this beautiful morning was this lovely young praying mantis, perched on top of the trash can.  (I’m sad to report that when I came home and checked on him, I found only his legs down on the ground…ugh.  Some bird must have had a good breakfast…oh well.)
And here are my attempts at capturing the long view of my Datura all in bloom this morning.  


Dakota had to come see what I was doing out in her yard this morning!
By |2016-04-14T02:45:10-05:00August 29th, 2008|Blog, datura, praying mantis, Sharing Nature's Garden, sky|6 Comments

Garden mish-mash…

These are a few of my newest little knick knacks in the garden.  No baby birds live here, but I do have a little red Cypress Vine that’s climbed up the fence and is trying to find a room!  

(Actually, I think I might want to plug the hole rather than inviting birds to live IN my vegetable garden — what do you think?!)
On that note, I thought this ceramic Mr. Cardinal was a clever way to keep some less-than-friendly friends out of my garden and make me smile at the same time.

His real-life cousin lives on the other side of our yard in the woods, where he frequents the many feeders my DH fills.  He also occasionally pecks at my windows in a very unfriendly fashion, for which I manage to forgive him since I have been wholly unsuccessful at detering him!

Well, this little cuke was green and healthy a week ago when I ripped out the rest of the cucumber vine.  I left a few vines since this seemed to be ok.
Clearly it isn’t ok!  Don’t know what it has, but it is an unhappy plant, that’s for sure!
But take a look at her neighbor.  This is my Malabar Spinach, and it is taking over.  And it’s not just taking over my garden, I think it has designs on our whole neighborhood and maybe even Austin!
Whatever got the cuke sure didn’t get this girl.  She’s gonna find herself a window and come in the house pretty soon!
Hmmm… I guess if my posts start to sound strange soon, you’d better check to see if she’s a body snatcher that’s taken me over because of my gardening weaknesses!
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